AUSTIN, Texas — Parents, teachers and school officials from Austin ISD urged state lawmakers Monday to increase public education funding during a Texas House Public Education Committee hearing, arguing that current funding levels have left many districts facing budget deficits, staffing cuts and school closures.
The committee reviewed the implementation of House Bill 2, which lawmakers approved during the last legislative session and which provided more than $8 billion for Texas public schools, including $4.2 billion for teacher pay increases and expansions to the Teacher Incentive Allotment program.
Teachers and district officials told lawmakers that the measure did not significantly increase the basic allotment, the amount districts receive for each enrolled student.
“Students do not experience funding formulas, they experience instability,” Austin ISD teacher Taylor Carriker-Cavin told the committee. “They experience the instability when budgets remain in question year after year after year.”
House Bill 2 increased the basic allotment by $55 per student. Educators and advocates testified that the increase has not kept pace with inflation or rising operating costs.
Several committee members questioned officials from the Texas Education Agency about whether the law’s funding formulas are functioning as intended. Lawmakers noted that some districts are projected to receive less funding than previously expected.
Many Texas school districts are preparing for budget deficits in the coming school year. Austin ISD projects a $181 million budget shortfall. School districts across Texas have closed or announced plans to close approximately 100 campuses during the past three years.
Austin ISD teacher Eric Ramos told lawmakers that the state should pursue broader funding increases for public schools.
“We’re not seeing, in my opinion, a good faith effort to increase funding for public schools,” Ramos said.
Austin ISD has announced reductions in teaching and staff positions as part of efforts to balance its budget.
Prekindergarten teacher Traci Dunlap told lawmakers that funding concerns and political controversies have contributed to challenges in retaining educators.
“I’m tired of hearing that I’m indoctrinating children in some radical leftist agenda,” Dunlap said. “I’m tired of culture wars, book bans, the Ten Commandments being posted in classrooms.”
School administrators from other districts also testified about funding concerns. Navarro Independent School District Chief Financial Officer Paul Neuhoff said his district has experienced funding discrepancies and rising utility costs during the past three years.
“Some districts like ours saw a decrease, and it was in how those numbers were represented and nobody had informed us that there was gonna be this kind of a massive change in what those numbers looked like,” Neuhoff said.
District officials also said teacher incentive funding does not apply to many other school employees, including librarians and nurses, creating concerns about compensation equity among staff.
Lawmakers and educators also discussed changes to special education funding approved under House Bill 2. The law provides districts with $1,000 for each evaluation used to determine whether a student qualifies for special education services.
Educators testified that evaluations can cost between $1,000 and $5,000 and noted that the funding does not cover reevaluations.
Some committee members questioned whether state special education requirements place additional financial pressure on local districts.
Austin ISD parent Jessica Levesque told lawmakers that widespread budget deficits across Texas indicate a broader funding issue affecting public schools statewide.
“It’s not a mismanagement of funds in one district when you have districts across the state that are facing deficits,” Levesque said. “We need to do better. We should do better, it’s for our kids, it’s the future of Texas.”